Olivier Giroud the hero substitute as Arsenal defeat Leicester City in a pulsating first match to kick off the Premier League season.

The English top flight division never seems to disappoint its fans as this back and forth, drama instilled, football game is the sheer definition of what the league is all about.

Just two minutes in to the match, Arsenal get things started.

The 52 million pound forward and record signing, Alexandre Lacazette thundered home a power header from inside the penalty area. He turned towards the Emirates with a keen face and his arms wide open, announcing himself as a Gunner.

On the opposite end of the pitch, Leicester City did not seem unnerved by the goal. Shinji Okazaki scored three minutes later, and Jamie Vardy finished a chance midway through the first half that saw Leicester shockingly take the lead.

The Gunners seemed tense, unpoised and tactically failing on simple passes and ball movement. They attempted too many fancy passes on top of shambolic defending in the attacking third.

Offensively, they continued to squander too many opportunities, and were continuously trapped offside.

On the plus side, Arsenal continued to dominate possession.

In added time of the first half, Danny Welbeck poached the ball in to an empty goal thanks to great pressing from new signing Sead Kolosinac. His assist to Welbeck gave Arsenal some hope at the break.

At the early stages of the second half, Leicester City took control. A corner kick from Riyad Mahrez found Jamie Vardy open in the box to header home a third for the Foxes.

Nacho Monreal was displeased at his defense, and surely the fans at the Emirates began to question whether or not, this year was off to a bad start.

That was until Arsene Wenger left his comfortable seat on the touchline and made some changes. He switched to four defenders in the back instead of his 3-4-3 formation he began with. Aaron Ramsey came on for former FC Basel midfielder Mohamed Elneny and Olivier Giroud came on for Rob Holding.

Wenger hit the nail on the head.

In the 82nd minute some great pressing from Arsenal troubled Leicester City. Granit Xhaka’s clinical pass in behind the defense left Aaron Ramsey wide open. The Welshman finished the opportunity and Arsenal were tied once again.

Three minutes later, the defining moment of the match came. Granit Xhaka whipped the ball in from the corner flag, and the big Frenchman Giroud climbed above the defense to power home the fourth goal for the Gunners.

Arsenal fans, you can relax now. The Emirates faithful sang their hearts out.

The new Premier League season kicks off with a thriller. Tomorrow, Watford host Liverpool and Chelsea host Burnley. Brighton and Hove Albion play their first ever Premier League match against Manchester City.

On Sunday, Manchester United host West Ham United at Old Trafford.

Advertisements

Share this:

Like this:

LikeLoading...

Related

Published by Robert Belardi Sports

My name is Robert Belardi and I am currently earning my Bachelors of Journalism at Humber College. I have also studied abroad at the University of Gloucestershire in Cheltenham, England taking sports journalism classes.
It has always been a dream of mine to become a sports journalist. I am a very motivated, hard working man that is always prepared to take the next step to follow my dreams. I thoroughly enjoy writing articles and intriguing sports fans with the latest news, results and opinion.
My love for sports began when I was very young. All the children in my classes were so adamant on watching the next Spongebob Squarepants episode, however I was not. I was more interested in watching Sportscentre. I was so intrigued by sports highlights that I avoided my cartoon years almost entirely. Along with Sportscentre I also enjoyed playing a lot of sports video games. I was so fascinated by the commentators and the way they announced the games. This influenced me to turn off the commentary while playing NHL, NBA and FIFA, and I tried announcing the game myself.
I am also an athlete myself. I have played soccer(football), rep baseball, house league baseball and lacrosse.
Growing up, I have always idolized journalists such as Gino Reda of TSN, Elliott Friedman of Sportsnet, Jay Onrait, Dan O’Toole and Kristian Jack. I am also a huge fan of commentary. I frequently watch English Premier League matches and I tune in to Martin Tyler, Andy Gray, Alan Smith, John Helm, Clive Tyldsley and Andy Townsend.
I currently volunteer for Rogers Cable TV. I have operated the camera for live sports games and also have been the colour and play by play commentator for League 1 semi-professional soccer in Ontario. I have also volunteered at Telle Latino travelling to bars in Toronto to interview passionate soccer fans during the 2014 Fifa World Cup. As soccer/football continues to become a very popular sport in North America my ultimate dream is to work in the U.K.
In addition to my sports journalism experience, I also was a writer and videographer for The Sputnik newspaper while attending Wilfrid Laurier University for two years. I recorded interviews with the basketball team, wrote articles and was also an editor for the opinion and sports section. I was also the host of PumpthebassWLU radio show every Thursday on Radio Laurier, providing the audience with new electronic dance music.
My goal for the Athletic Tribune is to write an article at least once a month. I believe that I have acquired a significant amount of knowledge in the sports industry and I wish to share that knowledge with you.
I will also be posting past articles that have yet to be published.
If you have any questions you may contact me via email. It is belardi.robert@gmail.com.
View all posts by Robert Belardi Sports